Healthcare at the Time of COVID-19: A Review of the Current Situation with Emphasis on Anesthesia Providers

Rekatsina, Martina; Paladini, Antonella; Moka, Eleni; Yeam, Cheng Teng; Urits, Ivan; Viswanath, Omar; Kaye, Alan D.; Morgan, John A.; Varrassi, Giustino

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly around the world with devastating consequences on patients, healthcare workers, health systems as well as economies. While, health-care systems are globally operating at maximum capacity, healthcare workers and especially anesthesia providers are facing extreme pressures, something that is also leading to declining availability and increasing stress. In this regard, it is extremely concerning the fact that some regions worldwide have reported up to 20% of their cases to be health care workers. When considering that the global case fatality rate may be as much as 5.4%, these numbers are concerning and unacceptable. As this pandemic accelerates, access to personal protective equipment for health workers is a key concern since at present, health-care workers are every country’s most valuable resource in the fight against COVID-19. Governments and heath organizations should take care of their staff and support them in any way possible. This review aims to describe the current situation anesthesia providers are facing in the setting of COVID-19 and provide solutions and evidence on important concerns including which guidance to follow, the level of equipment that is adequate and level of protection they need for every patient being administered an anesthetic.